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Best of the Best: Novi honors its police and fire

Published 10:41 a.m. ET Feb. 24, 2015

Awardees (l to r) Fire Fighter of the Year – Lieutenant Todd Seog; Police Civilian of the Year – Public Safety Performance Analyst Jason Porter; and Police Officer of the Year – Officer Robert Manar .(Photo: COURTESY)

The Novi Police and Fire Departments held their Annual Awards Ceremony Feb. 19 to celebrate accomplishments and recognize professional development achievements of those who protect and serve the community.

The ceremony was held at the Novi Civic Center. Both departments additionally recognized employees of the year, including Police Officer of the Year, Civilian Employee of the Year, and Fire Fighter of the Year.

“It is with great honor and pride that we recognize Novi Fire Lieutenant Todd Seog, Police Officer Robert Manar and Public Safety Performance Analyst Jason Porter for the honorable work they have done for the Novi Fire and Police Departments and in dedicated service to the entire Novi community,” said Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police David E. Molloy.

“In addition to performing their work assignments at peak performance, all three individuals embrace the highest level of public safety values and serve as outstanding role models for their colleagues, the city of Novi, and the community,” Molly added.

Fire Fighter of the Year – Lieutenant Todd Seog

Seog started his career with the Novi Fire Department as a paid-on-call firefighter in 1997 and was hired as a full-time fire protection officer in 1999 and promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 2012. Lt. Seog worked diligently to improve the safety of employees and citizens alike by ensuring the readiness of the automatic external defibrillators and emergency kits located throughout city owned facilities. For over a decade, Seog has led the File of Life and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Programs for the Novi Police and Fire Department members and was recently recognized as Public Safety Employee of the Month for mentoring new and current members of the fire department.

Police Civilian of the Year – Public Safety Performance Analyst Jason Porter

Porter started his career with the Novi Police Department as a records clerk / crime analyst in 2013 and was reassigned to the administrative team in 2014 as the public safety performance analyst. His analytical skills were utilized to implement Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS), a nationally recognized police operational model which merges crime and traffic crash data with geo-mapping technology to identify areas for highly visible enforcement by uniform patrol officers.

The initiative reduced targeted crimes and traffic collisions by double digits in targeted zones and contributed to a nearly 8-percent reduction in Part A crime in the city in 2014.

In addition, Porter implemented an electronic crime and information sharing tool for patrol briefings, coordinated weekly Public Safety CompStat meetings and initiated a regional crime analysis group to enhance information sharing between local, state and federal agencies in southeast Michigan.

Police Officer of the Year – Officer Robert Manar

Manar has been a member of the Novi Police Department since 2005, serving as a K-9 handler from 2008-2012. Along with his K-9 Alex, he earned several awards for the capture of numerous fleeing felons, multiple narcotics seizures and a life-saving award for tracking a distraught woman who had taken narcotics in an attempt to end her life.

In addition to his patrol duties, Manar is a highly regarded field training officer responsible for training and evaluating new police officers, ensuring they meet the quality standard expected from the Novi Police Department. Throughout his nine year career, Manar has also earned two Merit Citations, four Unit Citations, Individual Achievement Award and received numerous letters of thanks from citizens for his dedicated service to the community.